Expression and diagnostic use of pENV-3 encoded peptides which are immunologically reactive with antibodies to LAV

A method for determining the presence of antibodies of LAV in a biological fluid, comprising:

• incubating the biological fluid with a protein produced by bacterial cells transformed with a recombinant plasmid capable of replication in bacterial host cells, said plasmid including procaryotic transcriptional and translational signals for expression, followed by a DNA sequence coding for a portion of the LAV envelope protein comprising the amino acid sequence of FIG. 5, starting with isoleucine, number 1, and ending with threonine, number 173, said protein being immunologically reactive with antibodies to LAV, thereby forming a reaction mixture;
• and
• detecting the presence or absence of immune complexes within the reaction mixture to determine the presence of said antibodies.

A method for determining the presence of LAV antigen in a biological fluid, comprising:

• (a) incubating the biological fluid with a labeled protein produced by bacterial cells transformed with a recombinant plasmid capable of replication in bacterial host cells, said plasmid including proacryotic transcriptional and translational signals for expression, followed by a DNA sequence coding for a protein comprising a portion of the LAV envelope protein comprising the amino acid sequence of FIG. 5, starting with isoleucine, number 1, and ending with threonine, number 173, said protein being immunologically reactive with antibodies to LAV, and either sequentially or simultaneously, with an antibody to said protein such that specific binding occurs, thereby forming a reaction mixture;
• and
• (b) detecting the amount of label associated with the antibody within the reaction mixture formed in step (a).

A method for producing antibodies to LAV, comprising immunizing an animal with a protein produced by bacterial cells transformed with a recombinant plasmid capable of replication in bacterial host cells, said plasmid including procaryotic transcriptional and translational signals for expression, followed by DNA sequence coding for a protein which comprises a portion of the LAV envelope protein comprising the amino acid sequence of FIG. 5, starting with isoleucine, number 1, and ending with threonine, number 173, said protein being immunologically reactive with antibodies to LAV.

A method for determining the presence of antibodies to LAV in a biological fluid, comprising:

• (a) incubating the biological fluid with a protein produced by bacterial cells transformed with a recombinant plasmid capable of replication in bacterial host cells, said plasmid including procaryotic transcriptional and translational signals for expression, followed by a DNA sequence coding for a protein comprising a portion of the LAV envelope protein comprising the amino acid sequence of FIG. 5, starting with isoleucine, number 1, and ending with threonine, number 173, said protein being immunologically reactive with antibodies to LAV, said bacterially produced protein being in immobilized form, and, either sequentially or simultaneously, with a labeled, monoclonal antibody to said protein such that specific binding occurs, thereby forming a reaction mixture;
• and
• (b) detecting the amount of label associated with the immobilized protein within the reaction mixture formed in step (a).